


halo

by cheinsaw



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Friends With Benefits, Hair Dyeing, M/M, Pining, Terminal Illnesses, huge baby idiot ouma has big crush on childhood friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 19:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15825621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheinsaw/pseuds/cheinsaw
Summary: Ouma visits an old friend in the hospital.





	halo

**Author's Note:**

> shinta belongs to rainbowspaceshark on tumblr. you should check him out for more shintas. i also have a shinta tag on my own blog: cheinsaw.tumblr.com/tagged/shinta
> 
> shinta has a terminal illness caused by biochemical warfare he was subjected to as a baby. he is a member of DICE, meaning ouma has known hin since they were kids. that's all you really need to know to be able to read this! :v
> 
> i just wanna eat garlic bread

It's a bright and sunny afternoon as Kokichi skips through the hospital's front doors, a plastic shopping bag clutched tightly in his hand. He's able to get by the receptionist with just a nod—he's been here enough times that they know him. He takes the elevator to the fourth floor without incident, grinning to himself with anticipation for what's ahead. Down the hallway, and the door to Shinta's room is open. That's a good sign.

"It's me!" he calls out in the doorway, making Shinta turn around where he's sitting up in his bed.

"Kookie," he says warmly. "I'm glad you're here."

He looks good, at least. It's a good day. His hair is tied back in a ponytail, and the dark circles under his eyes aren't so pronounced. Kokichi's happy, then, if Shinta's having a good day.

Kokichi sets his bag down and climbs up into Shinta's bed, as close as he dares. (Not too close, he tells himself. Can't scare him or make him feel uneasy. He has so little time to visit Shinta as it is.)

Here is the predicament: Kokichi loves him, loves him, loves him. More than anything, more than the world itself. Kokichi would do just about anything to make him happy, ease his pain, see him smile. And, oh, Shinta has no idea.

"I missed you," Shinta says, opening his arms.  
Kokichi leans forward, collapsing into Shinta's embrace. "I missed my beloved Shinta-chan too." Here, in Shinta's arms, he can finally feel secure. "How are you?"

"Fine. Better, at least. And you?"

"Mmm, you know! Classes are pretty boring, but the people are interesting sometimes. I wish you could meet Momota-chan, he's so dumb that it's _super_ entertaining! Oh, and I think you'd like Saihara-chan and Toujou-chan a lot too."

"Oh, is that so? I'll have to ask Satarou if he can bring me to visit you sometime."

"Hahaha, what if Shinta-chan likes it too much and won't leave?"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Shinta says, starting to laugh himself. "Anyway, ready to do your roots?"

"Ugh, I'm beyond ready! Look how bad they are." Kokichi tugs at a lock of his hair, his roots a clearly visible blonde sprouting up from a mess of dark purple.

"You saved them for me, huh?"

"Nishishi, maybe I did! Who knows!" As fond as he is of lying, he can't seem to find it quite as satisfying when it's to Shinta. Maybe it's that Shinta is just more compelling in the first place; he's interesting even without lies. Shinta's not like the others in DICE, and certainly in a completely different league than Kokichi's classmates.

Kokichi throws off his shirt, tossing it onto Shinta's hospital bed. As usual, he climbs out of the bed first, then helps Shinta to his feet. Shinta usually needs his cane to walk, but he's not going far. Ouma helps him over to the bathroom, both of them staggering as Shinta puts all his weight on the much-smaller Kokichi.

"Okay," Shinta breathes as they reach the bathroom. Kokichi flicks the fan on as Shinta lowers himself down to the floor, with Kokichi plopping himself down seconds later. "Kookie, I don't think we'll need all this. Your roots are only a couple centimeters..."

"We'll just save the rest for next time, then!" (Kokichi tries his hardest to ignore the nagging, insistent thought that shows itself whenever he talks about the future with Shinta, even casually.)

"Oh, _sure._ Could you get the Vaseline?"

"Yep!" Kokichi springs back to his feet and retrieves the tub of petroleum jelly from the sink counter. Shinta thanks him and dips his fingers into the tub, and Kokichi involuntarily shudders.

It's not as if they never touch—quite the opposite, really. It's just something special that Kokichi feels with every brush of Shinta's fingers against his skin, something that no one else could even come close to replicating. Shinta's smearing Vaseline around Kokichi's ears and hairline, and Kokichi quietly lets him. "What'll the others say if I dye the boss purple?" Shinta had said once before while applying the jelly, and Kokichi just snickered.

"Alright," Shinta says after a few long moments. "I'm going to open it now." Kokichi can't help but make a face as the acrid chemical smell hits him. "I know, Kookie."

"It smells worse than Iruma-chan's nasty ass," Kokichi complains.

"…Um, who is Iruma?"

"Don't worry about it!"

Shinta laughs, shaking his head. He opens up the tube of developer cream, then hands it to Kokichi. "Do the honors?" It's just a formality; Shinta's hands are too shaky to mix the dye without dropping it, and they both know it. But if it makes Shinta happy to ask, then, well, Kokichi doesn't care.

Kokichi funnels powdered purple dye into the bottle, presses his finger firmly over the applicator tip, then shakes it vigorously until he's sure the contents are thoroughly blended. "Okay, hit me!" he says cheerily, handing the bottle back to Shinta. There's a small purple smear on his finger already.

"Gladly," Shinta says, and sets to work.  
  
"Okay, you'll need to let that sit for about twenty minutes," Shinta says once he's applied the dye to all Kokichi's roots, discarding the now-purple latex gloves. "Did you want to play cards or something for a distraction?"

"Okay! Let's play strip poker!"  
Shinta snorts. "If you want to see me naked, there are much better ways to ask, you know."

"Aww, why'd you think I'm just trying to get you naked?"

"I know you can count cards, Kookie."

"And? What, is Shinta-chan the fun police?" Kokichi's grinning up at him now. He loves being with Shinta like this, when it feels as if his heart's swelling with adoration. "I do have an idea, though!"

"And what would that be?"

"When we're done, can we..." Kokichi struggles with forming the request. "Your shower is really confusing, I don't wanna do it alone!"

"Oh, of course, I can help you turn it on." Shinta smiles.

"Noooo, what if I can't shut it off after? What if I _drown,_ Shinta-chan?!"

"You won't drown. Would it make you feel better if I showered with you?" The look on Kokichi's face is all the answer Shinta needs. "Yes, okay."

"Yay! My savior!"

"Hmm, I don't know if I'd go that far…"

They talk about meaningless little things until the dye has set, and then a bit longer. Finally, Shinta says, "So, how about that shower?"

"Fiiiine," Kokichi sighs.

"You were the one who suggested it!"

"Mmm, yeah, I know! Hurry up, then!" Kokichi's already begun taking his pants off. A chill runs over his bare skin, but he doesn't want to start the shower without Shinta.

Kokichi pretends he isn't watching Shinta undress, isn't treasuring the way his clothes look when they're sliding off his skin, isn't noticing the shadows of Shinta's ribs or the outlines of his hip bones. The disease that's been slowly tearing his body apart for the last ten years ebbs and flows, but Shinta is always sickly thin. Not for the first time, Kokichi's plagued with the idea that Shinta might simply break apart in his hands.

He shakes his head to clear away the thought. No, not now. Not ever.

"Could you turn the water on, please?" Shinta asks, standing naked by Kokichi's side. "Unless you still don't remember how to use a shower."

"I said yours is confusing! The showers at school aren't annoying like this." Nevertheless, Kokichi does it anyway, twisting the knob and testing the water until it's hot enough for Shinta without being scalding. "Does Shinta-chan need help getting in?"

"No, I'm okay, thank you," Shinta says, gripping tightly to the handrail as he lowers himself onto the shower bench. Kokichi follows eagerly, placing himself in Shinta's lap. As soon as he's under the water, rivulets of purple begin to run down his face and onto Shinta's pale skin. It's strangely pretty, Kokichi thinks, the dye slowly washing away against the two of them.

Shinta has noticed him staring. "Nishishi, like what you see, Shinta-chan?" Kokichi cuts in before Shinta can comment.

Shinta chuckles, looking away. "Ahaha, we really need to find you a girlfriend, boss."

The words sting, but Kokichi would rather die than let it show. "Awww, but I like playing with my beloved Shinta-chan soooo much!" _I don't want a girlfriend,_ he wishes he could say. _I want you._

They've never really talked about it, this back-and-forth of flirting, teasing, kissing, pulling away, dismissing. As far as Kokichi knows, Shinta has no genuine interest in him beyond the physical. Maybe he's just lonely, and Kokichi is the best he can get. God, what Kokichi wouldn't give to find out—but at once, he's sure the truth would kill him.

So Kokichi grins and boldly presses his lips against Shinta's. Shinta seems happy to kiss back, drawing his arms around Kokichi's waist and smiling into the kiss.

This is so close to perfection, so close to Kokichi's dreams. He wants to wrap himself around Shinta and never let go, forever at his side. It's silly, he thinks, not something a supreme leader should feel. But he does, and there is no denying it.

Kokichi rests his head on Shinta's shoulder and sighs softly, warm water pounding against his back and Shinta's heartbeat thrumming against his chest. He'll savor what he can, then. Better to have a few small moments than nothing at all.


End file.
